Gotta love a massive week for MMORPG news! We chatted up the Wild West Online team to learn more about its reversal on Kickstarter and its PvE server plans, Funcom saw its best financial quarter ever but delayed Secret World Legends’ Steam launch, Bungie revealed Destiny 2 gameplay and sent WoW Token prices skyward, Elder Scrolls Online prepared for Morrowind’s head start, and Star Citizen’s latest concept ship sale propelled it over the $150M fundraising hump.
Read on for the very best of this week’s MMO news and opinions.
THIS WEEK’S TOP STORIES
Exclusive Wild West Online interview on PvE servers, budget, and Red Dead Redemption 2 - Here at Massively OP, there's nothing we like to hear more than word that new, bold, and big MMORPGs are in development. Over the past week, Wild West Online rode in…
The Soapbox: Your favorite MMO is going to die - Your favorite MMO is going to die. Don't take it personally, though; every other MMO is going to shut down, too. That includes my favorites and everyone else's favorites. Do…
Wild West Online cancels Kickstarter and early access plans, secures funding for a full launch - Remember all of those plans that Wild West Online had for a Kickstarter campaign this month and a Steam early access release? Well, plans change -- and sometimes for the…
Star Citizen’s latest concept ship sale has already raised almost half a million bucks - Currently on sale in Star Citizen right now is a new concept ship, the Aegis Eclipse, on sale now for $250 for VIP backers and soon to be on sale…
Funcom Q1 2017 financials: ‘Most profitable quarter ever,’ Secret World Legends delayed on Steam - [AL:SWL]Conan Exiles performed beautifully for Funcom, at least during the first part of this year, the company's investor report for the first quarter revealed today. The survival sandbox's early access…
Tamriel Infinium: Five things to do while waiting for Elder Scrolls Online’s Morrowind early access - [AL:ESO]I have always found this part of the development cycle to be the worst part. Right now, we are sitting at the point in Elder Scrolls Online when you really…
Guild Wars 2 drops extensive class balance patch - Players logging into Guild Wars 2 yesterday might have found that their classes were changed quite a lot, thanks to a rather extensive balance patch. It appears that there are…
LOTRO Legendarium: Bingo Boffin’s unexpected journey - [AL:LOTRO]In addition to playing a lot of fantasy and sci-fi MMORPGs, I'm an avid reader of novels in the same genres. I never quite get tired of heroes growing into…
Massively Overthinking: Being Uncle Owen in MMORPGs - Ever since the tone-deaf SOE proclamation that nobody wanted to play Uncle Owen in an MMORPG, contrary me has consciously fought that very stupid idea. A whole lot of people…
Destiny 2: Gameplay stream, features, and Blizzard’s Battlenet - You know you are more than a little curious to see what this fall's Destiny 2 looks and plays like, especially considering that the series is now coming to PC.…
Ashes of Creation optimistically posts $3M stretch goal - Now that Ashes of Creation has surpassed $2 million in community fundraising, how far will the game go before its Kickstarter campaign draws to a conclusion? It might seem far-fetched…
WoW Token value soars on Destiny 2 Battlenet news - [AL:D2]WoW Token prices have soared following yesterday's surprise announcement that Destiny 2 will be published on Blizzard's Battlenet app (yes, that's what Blizzard called it). Players ran amok speculating on…
Is Cryptic Studios creating a Magic: The Gathering MMO? - For years now, we have been pondering what "top secret" project might be in development over at Cryptic Studios. Well, the studio isn't talking -- yet -- but there are…
Perfect Ten: The perfect MMO cosmetic system - Whenever I hear about or get into a new MMO, one of the very first things I'll be asking is if the game has a cosmetic outfit system and how…
Marvel Heroes Omega early access opens today for PS4 players - It's a big week for Marvel Heroes: Today marks the start of early access for the soft launch of Marvel Heroes Omega on PlayStation 4, which itself technically begins May…
Destiny 2 may not launch simultaneously on PC and consoles - [AL:D2]Properly excited about Destiny 2's announcements yesterday? We don't blame you. But there are a few points you might wish to consider. For example, keep in mind that you may…
Crowfall wraps up marathon seven-hour stream event, promises open beta by the end of 2017 - Following Crowfall's titanic reveal of expanded and new features earlier this week, the dev team sat down for a seven-hour livestream event yesterday to go in-depth on the race/class pairings,…
Choose My Adventure: Getting started in Neverwinter - [AL:NW]There are games that simply do not hold up past the demo, and frankly I've played a lot of those in Boston. Usually those are non-MMOs that promise big but don't…
Ultima Online fires employee over cheating scandal - You don't need to be a brand-new and modern MMORPG to suffer major cheating scandals, something the nearly 20-year-old Ultima Online has reminded us this week. In its most recent…
ArcheAge’s June 7 Erenor Eternal expansion has something for every playstyle - [AL:Arche]A fresh expansion is on the way for ArcheAge, Trion announced this afternoon. It's called Erenor Eternal, and you'll be downloading it in all its 3.5 glory on June 7th.…
Revelation Online launches Iceborn patch and faction war next week - [AL:Rev]Revelation Online is pushing out a big update next week. Iceborn asks players to "partake in a region-wide faction war, putting aside [their] differences and choosing one of two sides to…
The Survivalist: ARK Survival Evolved discusses early access, launch, and wipes - Could ARK: Survival Evolved finally be launching? That's a question many survivors would love to see answered soon. Unfortunately, we can't provide you with any date as one hasn't been…
Elder Scrolls Online reassures mainstream and solo gamers that MMOs aren’t scary - [AL:ESO]Do MMORPGs really have such an intimidating reputation in the gaming community these days that studios feel as though they need to mollycoddle prospects who might otherwise skip over their…
Sea of Thieves begins first PC tech alpha this weekend - Alpha is beginning for Rare's pirate-themed sailing MMO Sea of Thieves -- technical alpha, that is, for a thousand lucky Windows 10 players. "Starting this Saturday, May 20th, we’ll be…
Boot up your Age of Conan account for a free level 80 toon on its ninth birthday - So, Age of Conan players. Let's talk. I know this year has been kinda rough on you. You found out, as we did, that your game was going to be…
Black Desert Online’s Striker class is coming next week - With fists of fury and palms of power, the Striker is kick-punching his way into Black Desert Online next week. The fantasy sandbox's newest class will finally make the jump…
Ubisoft: The Crew has 12M players, The Crew 2 is on the way - During its quarterly investor call today, Ubisoft announced that its working on a sequel to racing MMO The Crew. "In 2017-18 we will see the exciting returns of Assassin’s Creed, Far…
Erectus stiffens up its competition with the launch of its endgame - While everyone would like to be the great shaft at the heart of progress in Erectus the Game, the stiff backbone around which all other play revolves, only one person can…
Flameseeker Chronicles: Unpacking Guild Wars 2’s Flashpoint - I've managed to calm myself enough after finishing my Guild Wars 2 Flashpoint initial impressions piece two weeks ago to bring you a much more detailed look at the action-packed episode that…
Leaderboard: Almost half of e-sports viewers don’t even play the games they’re spectating - It may sound crazy, but a huge number of people who pour eyeball time and money into e-sports don't even play the games they're watching. That's according to gaming analytics firm…
Conan Exiles tempers player expectations while vowing to fix combat - Funcom is working its tush off on Conan Exiles' combat, a new Q&A with Joel Bylos suggests, but make sure you understand the end goal. "We don't ever expect combat in…
EVE Online players blow up a $6,000 spaceship - [AL:EVE]Ever have the dark desire to see $6,000 get obliterated right before your very eyes? A coordinated team of EVE Online players baited a Vanquisher Titan into a battle and…
EVE Evolved: Is EVE Online becoming too safe? - [AL:EVE]EVE Online is often painted as a harsh universe without rules where you could have your entire net worth destroyed or swiped right from under your nose, a reputation that has…
THIS WEEK’S CASTS & STREAMS
Massively OP Podcast Episode 117: Starfall no more
Battle Bards Episode 98: Perfect World International
The Stream Team: An anniversary amble through Age of Conan
The Stream Team: Going hog wild for a healer in ARK
The Stream Team: Win some Rekt weapons in Paladins
The Stream Team: Many Secret World sabotage missions down, 10 to go
The Stream Team: Hitting the HEX campaign trail hard
The Stream Team: Artifact retrieval in Guardians of the Galaxy: The Telltale Series
The Stream Team: A peek into EverQuest II’s Proving Grounds
The Stream Team: An evening with Marvel Heroes’ Nick Fury
AND FROM OUR FRIENDS AT BLIZZARD WATCH
Author Christie Golden joins Blizzard Entertainment
Blizzard goes behind the scenes with A Found Memento cinematic
3D print your own Kanai’s Cube from Diablo
Every week, get caught up on the MMO genre’s latest news and Massively OP’s best content in our MMO Week in Review! Want more roundups of content? Try Friday’s Betawatch for MMO testing highlights, Saturday’s Make My MMO for MMO crowdfunding updates, and Sunday’s The MOP Up, which mops up all the little bits of news we didn’t cover anywhere else.
